Patriots Outlook and Projections Part 1: Offense

We are a mere five days away from the New England Patriots kicking off the 2011-2012 season, and on paper this team looks like the team to beat in the AFC. The rosters have been cut down to 53 men and the winners of positional battles in preseason are still being decided upon. Let me get you ready for some Monday Night Football with my expectations of who you will see out there starting on offense come September 12th.


QB: Tom Brady
Projected 2011-12 Stats: 4,100 YD, 38 TD, 9 INT
Coming off a brilliant statistical season in which he garnered his second MVP trophy, Tom Brady is still, at age 34, arguably the best in the league at his position, and arguably one of the top 5 greatest quarterbacks of all time. The numbers speak for themselves; 3x Super Bowl champion, 2x MVP, 2010 offensive player of the year. The man does not lose very often, bolstering a regular season winning percentage of .809 and a playoff winning percentage of .823. I don't know about you but there isn't a single soul I would rather have as my starting QB.


RB: Benjarvus Green-Ellis
Projected 2011-12 Stats: 900 YDs, 10 TDs
The hard nosed running back out of Mississippi made a name for himself last season carrying the majority of the running back load. He finished the year with 1008 rushing yards and a very impressive 13 rushing TDs. He is looking to add to his young and surprising NFL career as the Patriots main, between the tackles running back this season.


WR: Deion Branch
Projected 2011-12 Stats: 55 Rec, 600 YDs, 5 TD
Tom Brady got his buddy back last season in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks. Branch never had the same success with Seattle as he had here with the Patriots and once he arrived back in New England last season, it felt as though he never left. Branch doesn't do a lot of things that will end up in the SportsCenter Top Ten Plays, But he is sure handed, runs good routs and him and Brady have a great chemistry together, leading to many hook-ups throughout the season.


RT: Sebastian Vollmer
The NFL's big German is coming into his third season on the Patriots offensive line and has done a great job protecting Tom Brady thus far. The 6-8 tackle is coming off a season in which he was named a second team All-Pro. The versatile Vollmer will be playing right tackle this season as the Patriots have re-signed LT Matt Light to a one year deal.


RG: Dan Connolly
A career back-up until last season, Connolly stumbled upon a starting job last season while Logan Mankins was out due to contract disagreements and when Stephen Neal suffered an injury. Connolly played 6 games at RG and 7 games at LG. I think we all remember the glorious display of athleticism last season when a botched kickoff fell into Thunder Dan's arms and he returned it 71 yards. I'd like to note that the Patriots have signed 4x Pro-Bowl guard Brian Waters within the last week and it's likely he will be starting in place of Connolly in the near future.


C: Dan Koppen
Arguably the most steady member of the Patriots not named Tom Brady, Koppen is entering his ninth season with the Pats. In the eight seasons Koppen has been in New England he has started 119 of 120 games. Dan is one of three currents Patriots to start on all three Super Bowl winning teams, joining Tom Brady and Matt Light.


LG: Logan Mankins
Anchoring the left side of the offensive line, with a new 6 year $51 million contract that extends through the 2016 season, Logan Mankins has earned his title as the Patriots best offensive lineman. The man made the Pro-Bowl last season only having played in the last six games of the regular season, and was named a first team All-Pro. Logan was also named the best guard in the NFL in a poll of his peers in the off-season.


LT: Matt Light
Light is another stalwart of the Patriots offensive line. Protecting Tom Brady in 140 games over his 10 year career with the Patriots, most of those starts have been on Brady's blind side. The Pro-Bowl tackle has lost a step or two over the years but still has enough in the tank to be signed on for one more season with the Pats. Light may eventually lose his job to 17th overall pick Nate Solder who showed flashes of brilliance in the pre-season. Only time will tell.


TE: Rob Gronkowski
Projected 2011-12 Stats: 55 Rec, 700 YDs, 10 TD
The gigantic sophomore TE is looking to add to great start to his Patriots career this season. Gronk caught 42 balls for 546 yards last season amassing 10 touchdowns, a Patriots rookie TE record. It's thought that with a beast of a training camp in which he made men look like boys, Gronkowski will have even more responsibility going into this season. He will be utilized more often in the blocking game with the loss of Algae Crumpler, and also more in the passing game as he continues to gain more and more of Brady's trust.


WR: Wes Welker
Projected 2011-12 Stats: 112 Rec, 1110 YDs, 6 TD
Ah yes, Tom Brady's favorite target. The shifty and elusive Welker is going into season 5 of his illustrious Patriots career in which he has become the premiere slot receiver in the NFL. It's a contract year for 'The Slot Machine' and he has gained all of Tom Brady's trust over his 4 seasons in New England, bringing in 110+ balls in 3 of his 4 seasons here, and 86 in the other. Welker is said to be feeling the best he has felt now that he is over a year removed from major knee surgery. He will undoubtedly be the #1 target of #12 this season.


WR: Chad Ochocinco 
Projected 2011-12 Stats: 70 Rec, 870 YDs, 6 TD
Much to the chagrin of some Patriots fans, we traded for the wideout formerly known as Chad Johnson in the off-season. I have found that those who hate the trade for the Patriots are also those who are ill informed, often saying things like "how will him and Belichick get along?" and "him and his stupid antics can stay in Cincinatti." For one, Ocho and Bill have always had a fondness for eachother over the years. Look it up. It's a fact. Belichick has always had nothing but good things to say about Chad (which is rare for him) and the same goes for Chad about Bill. Although Chad has garnered some unneeded press over the years for his 'antics', they have never been anything detrimental to his team, or anything off the field. The man likes to celebrate in gaudy ways and turn to twitter to trash talk opposing DBs. I can assure you that will stop now that he has landed in Foxboro. Chad is too smart for it not to stop. He isn't like Terrell Owens and Brandon Marshall and all those WRs who will never learn. Chad is a true student of the game, he respects the game. He is going to put up numbers this year with the Patriots and if any of you Ocho naysayers are reading this, message me at the end of the season so I can say I told you so.


Other key offensive contributors include: TE Aaron Hernandez, RB Danny Woodhead, WR Julian Edelman and WR Taylor Price.


There you have it. My offensive starter outlook and projections for the Pats. Stay tuned for Part 2 where I take a look at the Patriots defense.


-ZHawk